August 8, 2004

1:32 PM

Is there a way to make a Mac OS X (Panther) install CD from a pair of eMac Software Install and Restore DVDs or install the operating system over a network on a computer that lacks a DVD drive?
posted by boost ventilator to (4 comments total)

oh yeah, and the other computer isn't an eMac either.
posted by boost ventilator at 1:40 PM on August 8, 2004

I doubt either of those things are easy to do.

Here's something that might work, though, if both computers have FireWire ports:
1) connect the two computers with a Firewire cable
2) boot the other computer in FireWire target mode, by holding down the "t" key when it starts up
3) reboot the eMac using the install DVD
4) when it asks you to choose a volume to install on, choose the one for the OTHER computer, not the eMac
posted by xil at 1:59 PM on August 8, 2004

the current computer i am trying to install all is an early iMac...no firewire port. but i might try that method down the road, on another system.
posted by boost ventilator at 2:55 PM on August 8, 2004

If you don't mind taking things apart, and if all else fails, you could move the hard drive to a place where it is seeable from the computer with the DVD drive (say an external firewire enclosure, or something similar), install Panther, then reinstall the drive. Not the simplest way to go, but I have done similar things in the past when necesary. It shouldn't matter that you installed Panther from another computer; I have swapped drives around among different models and it all just seems to work.

Don't forget to check that the iMacs firmware is up to date before you do the install though.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 5:24 PM on August 8, 2004